The Unforgettable Train Mixup
by mystical01
Summary: Gray and Natsu end up kilometres away from their guild. On their way back to Fairy Tail, they encounter numerous obstacles that might or might not bring them closer together. Gray/Natsu. Please R&R. COMPLETE :D
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: **Hi everyone and welcome to my first fanfic! I wrote it on Gray and Natsu because there's a serious lack of this pairing on Fanfiction :) I hope you guys will enjoy it and please R&R, I'd truly appreciate that. Thanks and have a good read :D

**Disclaimer: **I sadly do not own Fairy Tail nor its characters, but I sure wish I did!

**Title: **The Unforgettable Train Mix-up  
**By:** Mythical01  
**Manga:** Fairy Tail  
**Pairing:** Gray/Natsu  
**Rating:** T**  
Summary:** Gray and Natsu, by accident, go on the wrong train and must find a way to get back to Fairy Tail Guild. Please R&R.

* * *

**The Unforgettable Train Mix-up**

By: Mystical01

Chapter 1: 

"Stay still, will you?" grumbled Gray.

"Do…do it faster," articulated Natsu with great difficulty, his breathing getting harsher.

"Hey, you sure you're ok?" asked the ice mage, slightly worried for the red head.

"Shut urghp…" Natsu quickly held out his free hand up to his mouth, safely preventing himself from making his ridiculously large breakfast resurface.

"I told you we never should've gotten on this train, you idiot," said Gray, glad the fire mage had managed to keep his fare in.

_Flashback_

_The two Fairy Tail mages were on the train station and ready to head back to the guild, for they had "successfully" completed their mission. That is to say, they also caused quite a ruckus by destroying half of the town's port, a whole mansion and burning down a farm. _

"_It's this one, I know it is!" yelled Natsu, staring fiercely into Gray's dark brown eyes._

"_No, it's the other train. This one goes all the way to Tsubaki Town," replied Gray, somewhat annoyed at his childhood friend's stubbornness. _

"_I'm TELLING you, it's THIS freakin' train!" hollered the persistent troublemaker. _

"_Well, I'M telling YOU that it's the wrong one, you dimwit!" answered the ice mage, gradually raising his voice._

"_Sirs, the train is departing. Would you please decide faster? The doors are closing…" interrupted a worker, trying to stop their rather loud argument._

_Natsu suddenly smirked and grabbed Gray's arm. Unwillingly, the ice mage flushed at the touch. With one swift movement, Natsu threw the teen into the wagon and followed right after him, the doors closing the second they both got in._

"_You baka! This is the wrong train!" shouted Gray._

"_Yeah right," retorted the fire mage, completely convinced that he had made the right choice._

"_Attention to all passengers, welcome aboard on Orient Express. We are now heading towards Tsubaki Town. I repeat, Tsubaki town. We wish you a…" continued the announcer._

"_Shit…" said Natsu with a grim look on his face._

_End of flashback_

Gray had forcefully broken down the door with the help of an ice spear and was holding Natsu by the shoulders, keeping the poor red head in balance. Natsu's warm breath was stroking his right cheek and it made him feel awkward. Why was he blushing anyway?

"Jump…already," growled the ill boy suffering from motion sickness.

Ignoring his flushed state, Gray hopped off the train and the two rolled down one of the bluffs covering both sides of the rail road. Tsubaki Town was easily a three days trip to their guild and neither Gray nor Natsu could survive such a long journey. Finally reaching solid ground, Gray threw a discrete glance over at the body next to his.

oOoOo

Lying on the fresh field, Natsu felt his motion sickness slowly disappear. He hated to admit it, but he had to thank Gray for helping him get out of that vehicle. He couldn't imagine himself taking yet another train to get back to Fairy Tail. Just thinking about it made his head spin.

He couldn't help but wonder why Gray even bothered to argue with him at the train station. Gray was always right and he knew Natsu was just desperately trying to prove himself correct. The dragon slayer had pushed his partner into the train, only to find out he was wrong yet again. The fact that this scenario happened almost everyday was saddening, but then again, it wasn't like him at all to stay depressed for long. So what if Gray was usually right? He'd just have to beat him next time and the time after that and so on. Happy with his decision, Natsu sat up, a broad grin covering his face.

"What's up with the smile? It's creepy," said Gray, slowly getting up too.

"Shut up," returned the fire mage, wiping the grin off his face. "Anyway, where are we?" he asked, looking around him and searching for any signs of civilization.

"I…don't know," replied the ice mage, scratching the back of his head.

It then suddenly struck them like lightning: they were…LOST! Natsu could perfectly imagine that request on the mission board saying: "two Fairy Tail mages, lost somewhere near Tsubaki Town". They would be the laughing stock of the whole guild; especially the old fart of a master who'd surely bring this up every five seconds to see their reactions. Realizing this, he feebly flopped back down, mulling over all the possible solutions in his head.

"We're going to walk all the way back to the train station by following the rail road, Natsu," declared Gray, as if reading his mind.

oOoOo

The journey back was a long one, but Gray was glad it was not on a train. He always felt sorry for Natsu when they were on some kind of transportation together. He pitied not only the fire mage, but himself included. He wished he could help his friend overcome the torment vehicles constantly brought upon him, but Gray didn't know how. All the scenarios he could think of turned out way too awkward and embarrassing for him to even consider them of possible use. He'd result to insults to take his mind off the fact that Natsu was in pain. Natsu's energetic responses always comforted him somehow, knowing that the red head was at least fine enough to throw back an often cruel remark.

They had stayed on the train for quite a while before leaping down one of the cliffs bordering the lengthy rail road they were traveling on. Trying to situate their position according to the approximate amount of time they had been riding the wagon, Gray estimated one whole day and a half to be how long it would take them, by foot, to get back to the train station. He also had to consider the fact that they might meet up with some kind of danger along the way, but this sounded more or less likely, for they were both fairly powerful mages.

"Hey Gray, did you bring something to eat?" inquired Natsu, almost pleading.

"_Right, forgot about that issue_," thought Gray, remembering the abnormal appetite his partner had.

"So, did you? I'm kind of hungry," continued Natsu, looking down at his growling stomach, pouting.

"I'll think of something," answered Gray, sighing.

As they continued to walk forward, following the massive rail road they rode a while back, Gray started to ponder on how to find something edible in the big woods they were traveling in. He suddenly noticed that the temperature got colder. "_Is it getting late?" _He wondered. He glimpsed over at Natsu, who was acting a little…strange. His partner was continuously scratching his chin and glancing over at him once in a while, blushing slightly in the process. Intrigued, Gray stopped walking and put one hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, waiting for an immediate answer.

Surprised, Natsu stayed motionless for a second.

"Well, I've wanted to tell you this for a while, but…" replied Natsu, looking away, feeling his cheeks redden.

Taken aback by the sudden comment, Gray's heart started to beat faster and he could swear he saw an anime-like background surround Natsu. His eyes widened in anticipation. _"Wishful thinking,"_ he mused, _"as if he would say that." _But nevertheless, he stared at Natsu, his hopes rising up every time the red head blushed and turned to look away.

"…your pants are missing," said Natsu, finally finishing his sentence.

* * *

Well, that's chapter 1 of The Unforgettable Train Mix-up. Please R&R if you want more chapters! *evil smirk*

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: **Thank you so much for leaving comments :D I hope you guys will love this chapter too! To everyone who hasn't left a review, please do :) Enjoy!

Chapter 2: 

"Don't die on me!" yelled Gray, desperately shaking the ill boy.

"I-I don't feel well…" murmured Natsu, barely keeping his eyes open.

"Stay awake! You HAVE to!!" shouted the ice mage, clearly concerned for his partner's well-being.

"I'll…take a nap," said the red head, his eyelids slowing shutting.

Without a moment of delay, Gray slapped his friend across the face.

"Ouch! What was THAT for, you bastard!" hollered Natsu, holding his bruised cheek.

"Are you awake _now_?" replied Gray sarcastically, slightly smirking as his partner threw him a wrathful glare.

"I warned you it was a poisonous mushroom," he continued, rolling his eyes.

_Flashback_

_Three hours since the missing pants incident, the atmosphere between the two friends hadn't diminish in tension. Whereas Gray had been ignoring Natsu, the latter hadn't even seemed to notice the sudden change, which angered the ice mage greatly. _

"_Can I eat this?" asked Natsu, picking something up from the ground._

"_I don't care," replied Gray, seemly emotionless. _

"_Awesome…a red mushroom with white polka dots!!" said the fire controller, admiring the work of Mother Nature._

"_Red mushroom…with white POLKA DOTS?!" thought Gray, turning around as fast as possible to see it for himself. Once the plant in sight, he identified it as one of the deadliest fungi in the world._

"_Put that red piece of crap down, you senseless idiot!!" threatened the unnerved mage. _

"_Why?" inquired Natsu, his curiosity raising._

"_It's lethal!" answered Gray in an as-a-matter-a-fact tone._

"_Screw that," uttered Natsu before combusting the mushroom and popping it into his mouth, clearly undisturbed by the fact it was toxic._

"_You're STILL not going to listen to me?!" screamed the ice mage, "spit it out, NOW!!"_

"_No way," croaked Natsu, chewing the fungus. Soon after swallowing his snack, he felt the consequences._

"_Crap…" grumbled Natsu before kneeling down, holding his stomach painfully._

_End of flashback._

Treating a feverish Natsu was by far the most amusing task in the world. His constant complaining made it worse...a LOT worse, not to mention the many fire balls flying here and there from time to time. Then again, the circumstances did grant Gray a chance to deepen his relationship with his friend. Only, the ice mage did not think that far, for he hadn't realized his slight crush just yet.

"Sorry…" admitted Gray, his eyes looking elsewhere.

"F-For what?" questioned Natsu, squinting.

"I'm obviously talking about the slap, you…forget it," retorted the ice mage, embarrassed. "H-How can I help you g-get over this?" he continued innocently, but little did he expect the answer he was about to receive.

oOoOo

It was Natsu's lucky day. He was finally the mischievous patient taking full advantage of a poor nurse by the name of Gray Fullbuster. As the scenario insinuated marvellously, Natsu had been ordering Gray around, purposely firing orbs of flame every time he saw his partner slacking off. _"This is too awesome!"_ thought Natsu, playing his role of a terminal patient flawlessly. Sure, he had a mild stomach ache, but it was nothing compared to being punched; which happened quite often in Fairy Tail. He was thoroughly enjoying this and the emotion vaguely transpired on his face.

"You're burning up again!" said Gray, changing the wet clothe on the fire mage's forehead for the fifth time in 2 minutes.

"_Of course I am,"_ snickered Natsu interiorly, for everything had been going as planned. After torturing his miserable friend for a whole hour, his conscience began attacking him. Was he being too mean? Gray was genuinely worried for him while he, the presumably "ill" victim, had been feigning it. _"Should I tell him I'm ok now?" _wondered Natsu, but decided otherwise. It was too rare a chance to miss.

Then again, why would Gray be troubled over him? He hadn't seemed the least bothered that one time he had converted Natsu into an icicle during one of their numerous battles, nor when he had launched 10 ice swords at the Salamander, which, by the way, had terrorized the boy. _"Well, he didn't really have a choice,"_ considered Natsu, contradicting his previous statement. It was a fact that he, himself, had almost roasted the poor teen alive and had once burned all his clothes off and left the ice mage to run around town in his boxers.

"Are you sure you're fine?" examined Gray, yet again changing the dry cloth on Natsu's face.

Somehow, his heart ached every time his caretaker asked that same question. His face flushed and he didn't feel too well. _"Maybe I'm really coming down with a fever,"_ had pondered Natsu, considering the undeniable possibility. Since the beginning of their journey back to Fairy Tail, Gray had seemed a little distant. He avoided many of their usual conversations and glanced away pretty often. It had bothered Natsu greatly for some unknown reason. But now, he was paying so much attention to the red head that it felt awkward.

"Are you sure you're ok?" repeated the worried teen, stroking the boy's crimson red hair.

Natsu didn't know anymore. His face was as red as a tomato the second Gray had asked him that and he felt dizzy. _"I have to change the subject_," thought Natsu, thinking hard. It then suddenly came to him: the probable answer to why he was blushing every time Gray came closer…

oOoOo

Gray was utterly exhausted. Natsu had ordered him to: wash his clothes, find him wild berries, massage his feet and so on with the nonsense. He was getting tired of it, but couldn't cease his unsettling concern for the red head. His partner DID eat a deadly fungus, but then again, Natsu's body was a tough as a dragon's. He suddenly felt someone tug his arm. Promptly turning around, he glanced over at Natsu.

"Where's your shirt?" asked his patient, his face scorching hot.

"What?" returned Gray, bewildered.

Why'd he ask for his shirt? Peering downward, he noted the absence of a certain object dubbed a shirt by many.

"Shit…give me yours," ordered Gray, yanking on the fire mage's coat.

"I'm the sick person here!" growled Natsu, tugging back.

"So? Can't find my shirt…" complained the ice mage, jerking harder.

And soon began the first annual tug of war contest between two of Fairy Tail's rowdiest members. As frosty ice blades clashed with oversized fire balls, the boys hadn't noticed the danger lurking nearby. Suddenly, two thugs sprang out from behind a neighbouring bush, one of them awkwardly tripping on a branch and dropping face first, painfully smashing his nose on a boulder. His brother, overlooking his partner's clumsiness, began his speech right away.

"We are the Dumbbell brothers. Hands up and give us all your belongings!!" sniggered the thief, gripping onto his gun quite tightly out of nervousness.

"Brother, they can't give us anything if their hands are up," whispered the smaller of the two, apparently having much difficulty standing up.

"Crap, that's true. Umm, change of orders! Hands down and into your pockets, drag out all precious items, hand them over and…and what?" asked the older mobster, glaring at his sibling.

"And we leave and we…umm…" continued the gauche ruffian, stumbling on his words.

"Shut up!" roared an irritated Gray.

"Ok…" obeyed the younger Dumbbell, backing away, but his partner had grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back.

"Wait a minute! We're here to rob you of all your possessions, so you better quietly comply with our orders or else," declared the boss, a menacing look on his face.

Gray immediately threw the thief a glare, frightning the latter. A second later, an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

"Hey, give me your coat," he demanded as he began examining the fabric's texture with his eyes.

"What? No way! Get your own!!" yelled the thug in a defensive manner.

Gray slowly dragged himself up and walked towards the thieves. Before long, the Dumbbell brothers were stripped of all their clothes, except for the undergarments, and were off running for their lives before the angry "ice monster" as they called him.

o8o8o8o


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: **Hi everyone! I'm back with a NEW chapter of The Unforgettable Train Mix-up!! Have fun reading it and please R&R (I love reading comments :D).

Chapter 3

"Nice shirt," started Natsu as he glanced over at Gray. _"Got to thank the thieves,"_ he thought interiorly while heaving a sigh of relief. If those burglars hadn't showed up, Natsu would have had to find a way to tell Gray he was fine without sounding suspicious…which was VERY difficult.

"Thanks, nice hat," replied Gray, offering the fire mage a comical wink. _"Those bandits sure have good taste,"_ figured Gray with a smirk in the corner of his mouth.

"I know. Nice gloves you've got there," returned Natsu, flashing a large grin on his face.

"Yeah, nice boots, they match your hair color," said Gray as he smiled back. _"…the hat matched too," _he added in his head.

"Really? Nice…umm, shirt?" struggled Natsu to find something he hadn't mentioned. _"Oh crap, did I already say that?"_ pondered the red head with a small frown out of concentration.

"You said that already, you lose," Gray pointed out as he snickered evilly beneath his breath.

"I did not!!" protested Natsu desperately. _"Ok, maybe, but I'm not admitting it!!"_ claimed the teen, as stubborn as ever for he hated losing, especially to a certain ice mage by the name of Gray Fullbuster.

"Now don't be a sore loser and just hold on to this huge bag they left behind," ordered Gray, still giggling at the expression on Natsu's face as he handed the shorter boy the sack. The latter pouted as he grabbed it, throwing his partner a wrathful glare. _"Finally got rid of that ridiculously heavy bag,"_ yawned Gray as he stretched his tired arms, ignoring the baleful stare Natsu was casting.

Clothe was not the only thing the Dumbbell siblings discarded while escaping: they also neglected the existence of a huge pouch carrying within it various objects ranging from junk to…well, more junk. The boys had tried treasure hunting in it, but soon lost interest after a couple of minutes. Nonetheless, they still hauled it along with them as a pastime, just in case they got bored and felt like digging inside. However, there was one problem: no one wanted to lug it and so the guys constantly came up with odd contests. The loser received the wonderful punishment of having to yank the bag around until someone thought of another interesting challenge. Currently, Natsu had lost the duel dubbed the compliment-your-friend-as-long-as-possible face-off. The rules: never repeat the same speech and ALWAYS smile, which explained the unusually numerous grins the boys were flaunting at each other.

"Hey, what time is it?" asked Gray, lazily raising his hand up and resting it on Natsu's shoulder._ "I seriously want to sleep,"_ he thought as he soughed, waiting for his rival's answer.

"Nine thirty at night," retorted Natsu, still sulking. _"I'm not letting you win this time! What the heck is in this freaking bag anyway?"_ he complained in his mind as he began moping.

The two mages were now playing a new game denominated the don't-sleep-until-midnight battle. The rules: the first to sleep before midnight loses, anything is allowed from sleeping powder to punching your opponent unconscious and finally, if none of the two falls asleep before the given time, the one presently transporting the package will be forced to continue doing so.

"_Piece of cake,"_ had thought the fire mage as his sniggering converted to uncontrollable laughter, but reality wasn't all that simple. After a few hours of violent bickering, both contestants were still up and fighting.

"What time does your watch say now?" inquired Gray as he tried to catch his breath._ "I bet it's around 11 by now,"_ he presumed as he wiped the sweat off his face. _"One more hour and it's my victory," _he concluded as he sneered at his partner.

"Nine thirty," said Natsu, checking his timepiece. _"Something seems odd," _he suspected for some reason he himself hadn't any idea of.

"Didn't you say that the first time I asked you?" grumbled Gray, a questioning look on his face. _"It isn't 11 yet?" _he thought as he sighed out of disappointment.

"No…I said, umm, six thirty," rejoined Natsu, sounding quite confused._ "What DID I say a couple of hours ago?"_ he asked himself, but gave the question up for he just couldn't remember. Yet another hour passed until Gray's next fit of impatience.

"Hey, can we sleep yet?" he whined, huffing for air.

"No, it's not midnight. We made a bet; you lose if you sleep," fussed Natsu as he too struggled for air.

"I bet it's past midnight," complained an exhausted Gray, now laying on the ground.

"No it isn't. My watch clearly states it is…nine thirty?" responded Natsu as he rubbed his eyes, for what he just said couldn't have been correct, right?

"Nine thirty? Isn't this around the third time you said it was nine thirty?!" noticed Gray as he connected his eyes with the red head.

Suddenly, the two mages froze. Gray quickly grabbed Natsu's watch and examined it thoroughly, making a major discovery: the batteries were missing…

"Well, I guess that means I won, right?" announced Gray, displaying one last weak grin before flopping back down onto the ground with Natsu following his example soon afterwards.

"Don't…get…too…cocky," mumbled Natsu as he dozed off, leaving himself completely defenseless in front of Gray, which was pretty rare.

"Hey, Natsu?" said the ice mage, noticing that his partner was already slumbering. _"Don't just go snoozing off, you idiot,"_ he thought, slightly blushing. _"You look too vulnerable,"_ he continued, trying to ignore it but to no avail…Natsu was just too cute. His messy hair seemed so _soft_, his skin appeared so _touchable_, his lips seemed so _inviting_, Gray's heart _skipped a_ _beat _every time the red head moaned in his sleep and the more he watched, the more he had the urge to do just one thing: _kiss _him. _"Just one innocent little kiss, it's not like I like him or anything…" _he cogitated, his face flushing the more he thought about it. "_Must be all that fighting, I'm just tired…"_ he assumed as he threw a discrete glance over at Natsu's sleeping face. Before his conscience had the chance to attack him again, he placed his lips onto Natsu's, giving him a light and gentle kiss. Just as he was about to pull away, he felt Natsu kissing back…

oOoOoOo

"_I can't believe I lost again,"_ thought Natsu as he dropped down beside Gray. He closed his eyes and stayed motionless, taking in many deep breathes as he finally calmed down.

He then felt something soft on his lips, something he didn't dislike, something so gentle it was tempting him for more…a kiss, maybe? _"Mhmm…so I guess this is a kiss…" _he supposed as he nibbled on Gray's bottom lip, enticing his partner. _"…wait a minute, who's kissing me?!"_ wondered Natsu as he awoke with a start, looking up and realizing his position: Gray was on top of him with his hands on either side of his head! Startled, he suddenly pushed the ice mage off.

"W-What was THAT?!" asked Natsu as he tried to hide his conspicuous blush.

"Umm, an accident," muttered Gray, utterly embarrassed and looking away. An awkward silence soon followed…

"I found the thieves!!" yelled a distant voice.

"Yeah sure, you found the…thieves?" said Natsu, faintly raising his eyebrows as he saw a group of people from some village, all holding lethal weapons, head towards them. Their entrance had left the two boys dumbfounded, yet they were still a little flushed. _"What the heck?"_ was probably the only thing they could think of before the intruders interrupted their train of thoughts.

"We have the rights to suspect you two of stealing our belongings?" declared the leader, furiously glaring at them. "We don't care about the clothes, give us back Diamantina-sama," he explained, unsheathing his sword.

"_Diama-what?"_ contemplated Gray before realizing that this was all a misunderstanding: they weren't the one who stole all this, it was the Dumbbell brothers!! _"I have to clarify the matter!"_ thought Gray as he stood up and faced the chef.

"We didn't steal this…ok, well, we stole it from the people who stole your things…which means…CRAP, RUN!!" shrieked Gray as he yanked Natsu who grabbed the huge bag, all in one synchronized movement. "Drop that damn bag!! It's freaking heavy!!" shouted Gray, for he was the one dragging everything.

"No way!!" Natsu screamed back, getting up and starting to sprint too. It took the villagers a while to comprehend the situation: the culprits were escaping! Shaking off their confused expressions from a while ago, they began chasing after the two mages. It was the start of a long game of tag…

"Shit, we went on the wrong path!! Where the heck is the train rail now?!" screeched Natsu as he continuously tugged on the absurdly voluminous pouch with quite a lot of difficulty.

"Who cares!! Run, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!" squalled Gray, dashing as fast as he could.

"Why? We could just beat them senseless," suggested Natsu, still lugging the massive sack.

"Of course…NOT!! If Erza finds out we stole something and then beat up the innocent ones, she'd kill, no, TORTURE us to death!! Think about it!!" shrilled Gray as if it were the most obvious of things. _"I don't even want to think about it!"_ decided the ice mage, shivering.

"They're persistent!! What could be so precious about these crappy…" said Natsu, stopping in the middle of his sentence, frozen from shock. _"Oh shit…"_ his blank stare seemed to say. Nevertheless, his legs fortunately didn't cease to gallop.

"Why'd you stop talking?" questioned Gray as he looked back at his accomplice.

"Diamond" uttered the red head, his voice barely audible.

"What?" said Gray, slowing down and closing his distance with Natsu, for he was unable to understand his partner's words.

"THERE'S A FREAKING BIG DIAMOND IN THIS BAG!!" howled Natsu into Gray's ear once the ice mage was near enough.

Gray froze.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER?!" he yelped.

"FOUND THEM!!" proclaimed a villager, pointing a spear in their direction.

"WHAT?!" yelled the boys in unison.

Soon, they were captured, carried back to the village and tied to wooden poles. It seems they weren't the only ones, for there was a third pole between theirs._ "Another unlucky victim?" _considered Gray, sighing out of pity for all of them. _"We're so screwed,"_ thought Natsu in the meantime.

"Hey guys, what are you doing up here?" asked the unknown stranger on the third pole.

"Lucy?!" they both shouted out of surprise.

xXxXxXx

Wow, almost 2000 words of text XD So what did you think of chapter 3?


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's notes:** I present to you Chapter 4!!! :D

Chapter 4

A loud noise disturbed her sweet slumber. _"An idiot trying to rob the train?"_ she thought at first as she stretched her arms, a small yawn escaping from her mouth. But as sleep cleared from her head, she realized that the sound was coming from beside her. She quickly turned to see what was happening: Gray was shouldering a pale Natsu, both slowly walking towards the door.

When they finally reached the exit, the ill red head slightly lift his head and grumbled something into Gray's ears. Immediately, a conspicuous blush covered the latter's face as they leaped off the train. "Suspicious much?" mumbled Lucy to herself as she also prepared to jump off the train. Glancing down, she quickly gave up on the idea. "N-No way am I j-jumping off THAT!!" cried the stellar mage. In her head, Erza's words kept on repeating themselves like a broken record_: You are now responsible for the boys…responsible for the boys…responsible…_

"Ok! Ok! I got it!! No need to say it a million times!!" grumbled Lucy. Still staring at the cliff below her, she forcefully dragged herself to the door. Once there, she closed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and hopped off. A couple of miles away, a blaring "KYAAAAAAA!!" could be heard, the source of this deafening yell is presumably none other than our favourite stellar mage. The cry was soon followed by a loud "thump" sound and a weak "…ouch".

oOoOo

_A couple of days ago…_

It was a normal day at the Fairy Tail Guild…tables, chairs and possibly people were flying around here and there, loud shrills of glory or defeat could be heard miles away, food and drinks covered the thick wooden floor and frankly, it was one ridiculously huge mess. _"Then again, it's always been like this,"_ thought Lucy as she took another sip of her orange juice, heaving a sigh as she watched her nakama either beat each other up…or laugh their heads off for nothing. "The usual," she quietly murmured, throwing a discrete glance over at Gray and Natsu, who have been standing in front of the billboard for a while now. She noticed them staring at the same job request:

**Transportation Job**

**Instructions:** Bring cargo to town's port.

**Location:** Mr. Ignoramus' mansion at Turkey Town.

**Reward:** 300 000

"Hmm, that's a good pay," said Erza, appearing out of nowhere and giving Lucy a small fright. Taking a bite out of her sandwich, she added a "hello!" before aggressively wiping away the crumbs who dared to stay on the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, Natsu began walking towards the entrance.

"Hey Natsu, going somewhere?" asked a guild member.

"Yeah, found this nice transportation job," he answered proudly, flashing his usual grin.

"Good for ya!" laughed his nakama, slapping him on the back before leaving him to go get some beer. On his way to the counter, he saw Gray heading the same way as the red head. "Gray! Where're ya going?"

"Good pay for this transportation job," replied the ice mage, a smile on his face.

"Hey, I think Natsu just…" started his friend before another member slapped his hand onto his mouth to silence him.

"Natsu?" said Gray, somewhat confused

"Oh nothing, he's sprouting nonsense," retorted the other member, nervously giggling and subtlety avoiding Gray's slightly suspicious stare.

After a short while, Gray gave up and said, "Ok, if you say so" before leaving the guild. Finally releasing his friend, the other member heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, many curious members began gathering around to see what the little commotion was about.

"Dude, why didn't you tell him?"

"Can you imagine their faces when they find out?" replied the schemer. All stopped to think for a minute before shouting "PRICELESS!!" and collapsing in laughter at the thought. "…idiots," muttered Lucy as she put down the now empty juice bottle, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Lucy," quietly whispered Mirajane before adding, "Could you do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could you follow Gray and Natsu…"

"W-What?! Why? NO! WHY?!" baffled Lucy, perplexed.

"Because I'm slightly worried about the damage they'd do…and there's something fishy about them these days," continued the shape shifter, truly concerned for the boys.

"Oh come on, it's just some babysitting!" snorted Erza, popping the last bit of sandwich into her mouth. Standing up, she pushed her chair in and faced Lucy, connecting her eyes with the stellar mage. "They'll make a mess and since I have a mission to complete, I hereby declare that you are now responsible for the boys," announced the sword mage with a smirk on her face. In Fairy Tail, no one refused an order from Erza (let's rephrase that: no one DARED to refuse an order from her) and Lucy was no exception.

"Well, off you go!" said Erza in a firm tone, unfazed by Lucy's pleading puppy eyes. Unwillingly, the latter got up and started towards the door…pouting.

oOoOo

"…"

"…"

"Whoa, you _really_ look like this jerk I know back at…"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A JERK?!" yelled Gray, throwing Natsu a punch to the face. And so began their daily fight...again. _"Do I really have to watch over them?"_ thought Lucy, letting go of the tree branch used to hide her presence and jumping behind a nearby bush.

"Mommy, that girl's being weird!" giggled a young boy before his mother yanked him away.

"Don't point!!" she shouted to her disobedient child.

"Great! Now people think I'm a freak…" murmured Lucy to herself, her face red from embarrassment. Glancing back at the guys, she realized they were nowhere to be seen. A terrible sense of panic overtook her as she hectically searched for them. Finally, she spotted Natsu. _"Where's Gray?" _wondered the stellar mage.

"Hey, where's this Mr. Ignorant's mansion?" he asked a passer-by.

"Mr. Ignorant?"

"Yeah, Mr. Ignorant," confirmed the fire mage.

"It's Ignoramus, dork," said Gray, interrupting their conversation. An irritated Natsu threw him a wrathful glare before retorting with a "no one asked YOU". _"Doesn't matter, they both mean that the person's dunce,"_ thought Lucy, rolling her eyes.

Following the stranger's instructions, they soon arrived at said mansion. An extremely old butler greeted them at the entrance and let them inside. Unfortunately for Lucy, who was undercover, she could not infiltrate the estate. "Come on, I'm no ninja!" she muttered angrily.

Two minutes later, the left wing of the building went up in flames. Right away, the rest of the manor froze up before melting a second later. Freeze, burn, freeze, burn and so on…

Nearby, neighbours and tourists gathered around the gate, many snapping pictures or staring at the spectacle, fascinated. As for Lucy, she was going crazy: "What the HECK ARE THEY DOING?!"

Soon, the two boys came out of the mansion, carrying an enormous box. Both glaring at the other, throwing vibe thunderbolts at each other. The owner of the burned down house was not far behind.

"Not to worry! I have many more!!" reassured Mr. Ignoramus to the crowd, wiping away beads of sweat with a handkerchief. _"Pff, I hope so," _said Lucy in her mind.

After incinerating a whole farm and half of the town's port, the mission was "successfully" accomplished. Much to Lucy's delight, they were finally heading towards the train station. Her assignment was soon going to be over…

"I'm TELLING you, it's THIS freakin' train!" insisted Natsu, frantically waving his arms out of irritation.

"Well, I'M telling YOU that it's the wrong one, you dimwit!" answered the ice mage, raising his voice as a poor worker desperately tried to stop the argument. Natsu suddenly pulled Gray by the arm, hauling him into the wagon. _"…it IS the wrong one,"_ thought Lucy as she reluctantly followed them into the train…

oOoOo

"The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and who am I kidding? I'm lost in the woods and HUNGRY!!" cried Lucy out of desperation. With a sigh, she lay down on the ground, stretching her arms as sleep caught up with her. Yawning, she fell into sweet slumber…

"ICE MONSTER!!!!" yelled two strangers as they rushed by Lucy without noticing her. Waking up with a start, she blinked a couple of times before being fully awake. _"Ice monster…Gray?"_ she thought, suddenly making the connection in her head. Quickly standing up, she immediately began running towards the direction they came from, hoping it would lead her to the destination she expected. _"Please tell me it's this way!!"_ she wished.

"Check it out!! There's even a teddy bear!!" shouted Natsu with a large grin on his face as he waved the toy around. Gray simply gave him a nod before going back to his treasure hunting. The boys were throwing around various objects from a large pouch; things ranging from tableware to toys, clothe to books and so on.

"That's one random bag," mumbled Lucy, hiding herself behind a tree as she observed the guys. "Urgh, I feel like a stalker," she silently added. Still, she was relieved to have finally found them…

As time went by, the boys grew tired of their once fascinating wonder sack. And so, to spare themselves the trouble of carrying it around, they invented many absurd games, such as the compliment-your-friend-as-long-as-possible face-off. The loser was to drag with him the ridiculously heavy bag until another challenge was made up. Currently, the mages were playing the don't-sleep-until-midnight battle.

"I bet it's past midnight," whined an exhausted Gray, struggling for air.

"No it isn't. My watch clearly states it is…nine thirty?" replied Natsu, slightly confused. _"It's been nine thirty for hours!!"_ yelled Lucy interiorly. There was definitely something wrong with the red head's watch, concluded the stellar mage.

Finally realizing their little mistake, the boys instantly flopped onto the ground, worn out. _"See! It WAS broken!"_ said Lucy proudly in her head. Natsu immediately snoozed off, whereas Gray was still awake.

"Hey, Natsu?" he started, noticing that the red head was already sleeping. He continued to gently stare at his partner, which secretly intrigued Lucy, arousing her curiosity. _"He's been looking at him for a while now…"_

Slowly, he placed his lips onto Natsu's and gave the latter a soft and sweet kiss. By then, Lucy was nervously shielding her eyes, yet dying to see what was happening. Suddenly, Natsu began kissing back. "KYAAAAAA!!" cried Lucy mentally, hardly able to keep quiet anymore.

"W-What was THAT?!" demanded Natsu, shaking his head to hide his obvious flushed state._ "That's my question!!" _thought Lucy as she watched on. She was so absorbed that she didn't notice the danger lurking behind her. All of a sudden, a stranger grabbed her by the waist, bringing his hand up to her mouth and thus silencing her scream.

"Are you with them?" he asked, releasing her once they were far away.

"Yes, no, maybe, NO!" babbled Lucy, frightened.

"You from Fairy Tail?" continued the kidnapper.

"…no?"

"She's lying!! Look at her hand!!" accused another man, coming out from a nearby bush. _"Shit...RUN!!" _thought Lucy, preparing to dash off. However, before she could move, the giant fellow had already tied her hands up with rope.

"Not so fast, you're coming with us," he said as he picked her up, carrying her on his broad shoulders. _"HELP ME!!!"_

xXxXxXx

Phew, took a while to write all that :) Hope you liked it!! Don't forget to R&R and see you next chapter!!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gray carefully paced through the large woods, his eyes slowly scrutinizing every detail as he searched for a certain object. A tiny gleam of light suddenly glimmered from afar and caught his attention. _"Could it be…?"_ he thought as he immediately rushed to it. Right away, Natsu crashed into him, followed by Lucy falling on top of the fire mage.

"Hey! Watch it!" yelled Natsu, quickly standing up.

"Don't pull on the chain!" shouted Lucy at the fire mage, angrily shaking her fist at him.

"Gray started it! He…" began Natsu as he raised his hand up to point at the ice mage. However, Gray was nowhere to be seen. _"Huh?"_ said Natsu in his head as he looked around for his partner. As for Lucy, she immediately narrowed her eyes and brought her hand up to her chin, thinking. Natsu suddenly got an idea. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, both mages felt the ground move.

"…you're STANDING on me!!" grumbled Gray from underneath them.

oOoOoOo

_A few hours ago…_

A strong wind blew through the forest as heavy storm clouds began covering the sky, casting the village into semi-darkness. The poor mages were still tied onto wooden poles as a few drops of rain began hitting the ground…a storm was on its way.

"I'M HUNGRY!!" complained Natsu, trying to shake himself out of the ropes.

"Don't even bother. It's magic-proof rope," said Gray as he let out a sigh. _"I'm starving too_," he added in his head.

"This is unbelievable! Natsu, you idiot!!" yelled Lucy for the fifth time in two minutes.

_Flashback_

"_Look, just give the nice mister over there the diamond-whatever-sama and problem solved!" ordered Gray as he threw Natsu a glare._

"_No can do," repeated the fire mage._

"…_why not?" asked Lucy, flashing him the puppy eyes._

"_I dropped it"_

"…"

"_WHAT?!" _

_End of flashback_

"How can you DROP a diamond?!" continued Lucy, still on her complaining-spree.

"Well, you let it go, it falls to the ground and…" explained Natsu before being interrupted by the muscular village bodyguard.

"Now, listen up! Since we're all too lazy, we are forcing you three to go search for Diamantina-sama in the forest," he began, stopping to clear his throat. "However, there are two conditions you must follow before we let you go."

"Sure, what are they?" replied Gray, suddenly energetic again._ "Finally free from this wooden pole!"_ he thought as he suddenly noticed that the man was holding a large bag. _"Is that one of the conditions?"_ he asked himself as he watched on.

"What's with the bag?" said Natsu, as if reading Gray's mind.

A smirk suddenly curled up the guard's lips as he pulled out two handcuffs from the big pouch, shocking the mages. Gray's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the objects, Lucy's mouth dropped and Natsu…didn't react.

"I don't get it, what's up with the handcuffs? You're not going to…" He finally caught on. "You're freaking KIDDING ME! You're NOT going to do that, are you?!"

"Oh yes I will," smirked the guard as he opened the cuffs with a key.

oOoOoOo

"…"

Natsu stared at the handcuffs as he stuck his lower lip out, pouting. He suddenly glanced up at Gray, then immediately went back to glaring at the cuffs. A moment later, he let a sigh escapes his lips before tapping his feet on the ground a few times. Again, he looked up at Gray, followed by another sigh…and another glance…and another…

"Deal with it," grumbled Gray, slightly annoyed.

"…I didn't say anything," mumbled Natsu, looking away.

"Your expression did," replied the ice mage in an irritated tone.

"Well whose stupid idea was it anyway!" complained Natsu. "And why am I in the middle!?"

The poor fire mage was stuck with both handcuffs on, between Gray and Lucy. Now how did he end up like that? Let's just say luck wasn't on his side and a certain someone called the village guard a closet pervert…

"Anyway, just look for the diamond! We've only got till sun down," ordered Gray, pulling on the handcuffs to get Natsu moving. "Or what, do you want to stay like this forever?"

The red head unwillingly obeyed his partner, sulking. Lucy, on the other hand, glanced up at the sky with a worried look on her face.

"Guys, I think a storm's coming," declared the stellar mage, but the boys weren't listening. Gray was busy searching and Natsu was…staring at the handcuffs again. _"Yeah, that's it. Just don't listen to me,"_ complained Lucy interiorly. She then turned her head and decided to ignore them for a while…or at least until she got bored of it.

As for Natsu, he was getting impatient. Couldn't they just break the handcuffs and escape? Why bother searching? Again, he glanced down at the chain connecting him to Gray…why didn't the other handcuff bother him? What was so special about this one? The more he thought about it, the more it annoyed him. Why did it irritate him so? _"GAHH! That's it! I'm breaking this thing!!"_ yelled Natsu in his head before quickly giving the chain a huge yank.

At the same moment, Gray turned around to say something when Natsu suddenly jerked the handcuffs upwards. Right away, their faces crashed together and both boys froze in shock.

A deep rumble of thunder suddenly made the land tremble as a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky. Rain came pouring down around them, the cold water soaking into their hair and clothes. Both mages stayed motionless, lips locked together.

"Yay…it's RAINING!!" complained Lucy as she squeezed some water out of her hair. Seeing that the boys were not responding, she immediately threw a glance over in their direction. "Come on! Listen to me when I…" Lucy froze. "What are you two doing?!"

"What do you mean?" replied Gray as he raised his head up to look at her.

"…well, why are you both crouching?" said the stellar mage as she got closer.

"No reason! S-Stomach ache!" stuttered Natsu, looking away.

Lucy suddenly noticed the problem…

"Are you two blushing?!" she gasped, bringing her hand up to her lips in surprise.

"NO!" yelled the element mages in unison as their faces turned crimson red.

oOoOoOo

_At the village…_

A child was throwing an awful fit as the villagers tried their best to calm him down.

"What's taking them so long?" grumbled the guard, tapping his fingers on a nearby table.

A villager suddenly entered the tent, dripping wet.

"Sir! We've found Diamantina-sama!!" announced the man, a huge grin on his face as he proudly brought the object up to the guard.

"…wasn't it lost in the woods?" asked a villager.

"No? It was in the bag. We just searched it. The fake diamond is missing though," replied the man, bringing his hand up to his chin to look like he was thinking hard.

"Oh, that glass diamond? Doesn't matter! It wasn't worth anything," laughed the guard as he picked up the teddy bear named 'Diamantina-sama' from the table. "Young master, here's your bear!"

The child immediately stopped crying. His eyes lit up and a large grin found its way to his lips as he hugged his teddy, giggling. Everyone sighed in relief as each went back to their own tents.

"…sir, what do we do about the Fairy Tail mages?"

"The what? Oh...they'll be back...probably," mumbled the guard, as if he couldn't care less.

xXxXx

**Author's notes:** Next's chapter's my favourite :D (you'll see why *evil grin*)


	6. Chapter 6

Final Chapter

The rain poured harder as the storm continued to rage on, the wind picking up and shaking the trees.

"Find anywhere dry yet?!" yelled Lucy, barely keeping her eyes open as she squinted to see through the thick rain. "No convenient cave or something?!" she added sarcastically. She'd have laughed at the joke if they weren't completely soaked and freezing.

Gray sneered. "Real funny!!" he said. "As if there'd really be…"

"A CAVE!!!" cried Natsu as he pointed at it, dragging Lucy along with his hand. _"God I hate handcuffs," _thought Lucy as the fire mage continued to yank her around with his arm as he frantically shook his finger towards the cave, a proud grin on his face.

oOoOoOo

_Flashback_

_None moved as their mouths stayed locked together. _

_Natsu felt his lips burn as his thoughts blurred into a complete mess of confusion…and lust. He didn't dare move. The rain soaked into their clothes and hair, the coldness seeping into his skin and making him shiver. _

_Suddenly, he felt Gray pull away. A sudden sense of urgency spurred him into motion. Without thinking, he quickly grabbed Gray by the head and crashed their lips back together, giving him a rough but powerful kiss. _

_Gray's eyes widened in surprise as he felt Natsu biting his lips, pressing his face against his own. Finally closing his eyes, he melted into the kiss and he wrapped a hesitant arm around Natsu's waist, pulling him closer._

"_Yay…it's RAINING!!" complained Lucy, giving both boys a fright. They quickly separated from each other, their faces completely flushed._

_End of flashback_

"No, seriously, what happened?" questioned the stellar mage, completely forgetting about her wet clothes.

Gray glanced away. "Nothing," he answered, squeezing some water out of his shirt. "We just bumped our heads by accident, really." Natsu nodded at that. "Yeah, that's all," he added, just to be convincing.

Lucy looked disappointed. "Oh," she said with a pout as she went back to drying her shirt. Both boys heaved a sigh. The girl wasn't stupid, but thank goodness she was gullible…_very _gullible.

Natsu threw Gray a glance before quickly going back to lighting the fire, his cheeks slightly pink. The ice mage stared on, amused by his partner's reaction as his lips curved into a small smile. Turning his attention back to his work, he formed an ice sword in his hand as he began cutting up the wood.

oOoOoOo

Erza threw a glare at Elfman. "Are you certain we've taken the right path?" she said, a malicious gleam shining in her bright eyes. Elfram gulped. Truth was that he didn't even know where they were.

"Juvia thinks we're lost," claimed the water girl as she pranced around the woods, picking up some flowers here and there. "Juvia suggests we give up," she continued. "Gray will be back without the request."

Levy frowned. "All you've been talking about is Gray," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What about Natsu and Lucy?"

"Juvia cares not for them," replied the girl with a smile.

Sometimes the others wondered why she even came along. Of course, the answer was obvious: to see Gray. Still, she was no help as they searched their way out of the deep woods surrounding Tsubaki Town.

"Can you believe the master put up a reward for this?" complained Cana as she took another sip of beer. "Thirty thousand for finding a 'red headed idiot, an ice monster plus some girl'," she went on, gulping down the whole bottle.

Levy shook her head. "No, some villagers called to get them out of their forest, it seems."

"Oh," said the group in unison. All couldn't help but wonder what trouble the three were in again…not that it mattered anymore, since they were lost anyway.

Elfman suddenly stopped walking. "Light!!" he cried as he immediately head towards the source of light he saw, everyone else following close behind. "Think we've finally found our way out!" he announced, a large grin beaming across his face.

oOoOoOo

Spending the night on a pole was by far one of the worst things Gray had ever experienced, especially when you were with a girl on a complaining-spree and a fire mage trying to burn down the poles…and you. Between dodging fire and insults, he didn't know which one was worse. All he knew was that they barely had any sleep that night, or morning. It was technically early morning…as if anyone cared.

Lucy nudged Gray. "Hey, you awake?"

Slowly rubbing his eyes, he let a yawn escape his lips before facing the girl. "I'm catching up on sleep," he mumbled as he lay his head back down onto the ground, grabbing himself a pile of leaves to use as a pillow.

Lucy stared on, unmoving. A few seconds passed before Gray finally heaved a sigh. "Look, go bother Natsu. At least he's still up," he added before closing his eyes again.

Lucy immediately turned towards the fire mage and frowned. "Liar," she grumbled as she looked down at a sleeping Natsu who was curled up at the corner of the cave, next to the fire.

"There's no more wood, you know," she mumbled to them, but no one replied. "You'll all freeze to death," she added after a while. "And I won't care," she continued. But there was still no response. _"That's it,"_ she thought before yanking them out of the cave with the handcuffs.

When the dragging finally stopped, Natsu shifted his position to face Gray. The latter was already awake and quietly staring at the red head, patiently waiting for him to look his way.

"She stopped moving?" whispered Natsu, keeping his voice down as he looked around. They were outside the cave, but the rain had stopped, leaving the ground moist and wet.

Gray nodded as he pointed to the cave. "She's inside," he said with a smile. Lucy had somehow managed to break her handcuffs with Taurus and had left the boys outside, once the wood gathered.

Natsu let a small laugh escape his lips. "The cuffs were breakable?" he chuckled as he lift his hand up, Gray's arm moving along with his own. He looked up at the ice mage with a slight smirk. "Want to break it?" he asked, staring into the latter's dark eyes for an answer.

Gray shook his head as a smile graced his lips. He suddenly yanked on the chain, pulling the red head closer. His face barely a centimetre away, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss against Natsu's lips. "I like it this way," he replied with a grin.

Natsu froze for a second, his eyes widening in surprise. A strange tingle of warmth burned his lips as he connected his eyes with Gray again, a smirk slowly forming on his face. "Me too," he murmured before pulling Gray into another kiss, this time with more passion and vigor.

oOoOoOo

No one moved. Everyone stared wide eyed at the scene; most of them in shock and one in anger. As Juvia quickly stepped out of the bush, the rest immediately yanked her back in, Erza covering her mouth with a hand.

She turned to look at them all. "Should we…?" she whispered as the group quickly nodded in response. Making the least noise possible, they tip-toed their way back into the forest.

**Fin**

***

Author's notes: Hope you liked it. I was thinking about maybe adding an extra chapter if I get a crazy amount of requests *wink* (…) Yeah, way to go with the subtlety, I know :)

Anyway, I always love feedback and thanks for reading!


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